Four in five PRS landlords unwilling to rent to benefit claimants

Nearly four in five landlords are unwilling to rent to tenants on housing benefit, a survey has revealed.

Just 18 per cent of landlords had tenants with housing benefit in one or more of their properties, the survey by property listings website SpareRoom.co.uk showed.

This compares with a third two years ago.

A total of 57 per cent said they explicitly refused to rent to tenants on housing benefit, stating ‘no housing benefit’ in advertisements, the research carried out for the Guardian revealed.

More than half of those willing to take on tenants on housing benefit said they would not take any more following the roll out of universal credit.

Matt Hutchinson, director of SpareRoom, told the Guardian: ‘The 2008 [introduction of local housing allowance] to stop landlords receiving rent payments direct [unless requested] – designed to give those on benefits greater responsibility for their finances – has had overwhelmingly negative and lasting repercussions for tenants on housing benefit.

‘With rents rising and the welfare budget suffering from continued government cuts, the outlook for tenants reliant on housing benefit is getting bleaker.’